MARK 12:19 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]“Teacher, Mosheh wrote that if a man’s married brother should die before his wife without having any children, then his brother should marry her to produce descendants in his brother’s name.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, magenta:vocative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up seed for his brother.

UST “Instructor, Moses wrote for us in the Scriptures about what should happen when a man with a wife, but no children, dies. When that happens, the dead man’s brother should marry the dead man’s wife. When they have a child, they should consider it to be the child of the dead man.

BSB “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, [the man] is to marry [his brother’s] widow and raise up offspring for [him].[fn]

MSB “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, [the man] is to marry [his brother’s] widow and raise up offspring for [him].[fn]

BLB "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, that if anyone's brother should die and leave behind a wife and not leave children, that his brother should take the wife and raise up seed for his brother.

AICNT “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone's brother dies and leaves a wife, and leaves no {child},[fn] the brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.[fn]

12:19, child: Some manuscripts read “children.”

12:19, Deuteronomy 25:5

OEB ‘Teacher, in our scriptures Moses decreed that, should a man’s brother die, leaving a widow but no child, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.

WEBBE “Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

WMBB “Rabbi, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

NET “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘ If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man must marry the widow and father children for his brother.’

LSV “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if anyone’s brother may die, and may leave a wife, and may leave no children, that his brother may take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

FBV “Teacher, Moses instructed us that if a man dies, leaving his widow childless, then his brother should marry his wife, and have children by her on his behalf.[fn]

12:19 See Deuteronomy 25:5.

TCNT “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, that man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’

T4T “Teacher, Moses wrote for us Jews that if a man who has no children dies, his brother should marry the dead man’s widow. Then if those two bear children, everyone will consider that those children are the children of the man who died, and in that way the dead man will continue to have descendants.

LEB “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and _⌊father_⌋[fn] descendants for his brother.

12:19 Literally “raise up”

BBE Master, in the law Moses says, If a man's brother comes to his end, and has a wife still living and no child, it is right for his brother to take his wife, and get a family for his brother.

Moff "Teacher," they said, "Moses has written this law for us, that if a man"s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother is to take the woman and raise offspring for his brother.

Wymth "Rabbi," they said, "Moses made it a law for us: `If a man's brother should die and leave a wife, but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up a family for his brother.'

ASV Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

DRA Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

YLT 'Teacher, Moses wrote to us, that if any one's brother may die, and may leave a wife, and may leave no children, that his brother may take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Drby Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if any one's brother die, and leave a wife behind, and leave no children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

RV Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

SLT Teacher, Moses wrote to us, That if any one’s brother die, and leave his wife, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Wbstr Master, Moses wrote to us, If a man's brother shall die, and leave his wife, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise seed to his brother.

KJB-1769 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

KJB-1611 Master, Moses wrote vnto vs, If a mans brother die, and leaue his wife behind him, and leaue no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise vp seed vnto his brother.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Maister, Moyses wrote vnto vs, yf any mans brother dye, and leaue his wyfe behynde hym, & leaue no chyldren: that his brother shoulde take his wyfe, and rayse vp seede vnto his brother.
(Master, Moses wrote unto us, if any mans brother dye, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children: that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.)

Gnva Master, Moses wrote vnto vs, If any mans brother die, and leaue his wife, and leaue no children, that his brother should take his wife, and rayse vp seede vnto his brother.
(Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any mans brother die, and leave his wife, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. )

Cvdl Master, Moses wrote vnto vs. Yf eny mans brother dye, and leaue a wife, and leaue no children, his brother shal take his wife, and rayse vp sede vnto his brother.
(Master, Moses wrote unto us. If any mans brother dye, and leave a wife, and leave no children, his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.)

TNT Master Moses wroote vnto vs yf eny mans brother dye and leve his wyfe behinde him and leve no chyldren: that then hys brother shuld take his wyfe and reyse vp seed vnto his brother.
(Master Moses wrote unto us if any mans brother dye and leave his wife behind him and leave no children: that then his brother should take his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. )

Wycl and seiden, Maister, Moyses wroot to vs, that if the brother of a man were deed, and lefte his wijf, and haue no sones, his brother take his wijf, and reise vp seed to his brother.
(and said, Master, Moses wrote to us, that if the brother of a man were deed, and left his wife, and have no sons, his brother take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.)

Luth Meister, Mose hat uns geschrieben: Wenn jemands Bruder stirbt und läßt ein Weib und läßt keine Kinder, so soll sein Bruder desselbigen Weib nehmen und seinem Bruder Samen erwecken.
(master, Moses has us/to_us/ourselves written: When someone brother dies and lets a woman and lets no children, so should be brother of_the_same woman take and his brother seed(s) awaken.)

ClVg Magister, Moyses nobis scripsit, ut si cujus frater mortuus fuerit, et dimiserit uxorem, et filios non reliquerit, accipiat frater ejus uxorem ipsius, et resuscitet semen fratri suo.
(Teacher/Master, Moyses us wrote, as when/but_if whose brother dead has_been, and let_go wife, and children not/no reliquerit, let_him_accept brother his wife of_his/her_own, and resuscitet seed brother his_own. )

UGNT Διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καὶ μὴ ἀφῇ τέκνον, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
(Didaskale, Mōusaʸs egrapsen haʸmin, hoti ean tinos adelfos apothanaʸ, kai katalipaʸ gunaika kai maʸ afaʸ teknon, hina labaʸ ho adelfos autou taʸn gunaika, kai exanastaʸsaʸ sperma tōi adelfōi autou.)

SBL-GNT Διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καὶ ⸂μὴ ἀφῇ τέκνον⸃, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν ⸀γυναῖκα καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
(Didaskale, Mōusaʸs egrapsen haʸmin hoti ean tinos adelfos apothanaʸ kai katalipaʸ gunaika kai ⸂maʸ afaʸ teknon⸃, hina labaʸ ho adelfos autou taʸn ⸀gunaika kai exanastaʸsaʸ sperma tōi adelfōi autou.)

RP-GNT Διδάσκαλε, Μωσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι Ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα, καὶ τέκνα μὴ ἀφῇ, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
(Didaskale, Mōsaʸs egrapsen haʸmin hoti Ean tinos adelfos apothanaʸ, kai katalipaʸ gunaika, kai tekna maʸ afaʸ, hina labaʸ ho adelfos autou taʸn gunaika autou, kai exanastaʸsaʸ sperma tōi adelfōi autou.)

TC-GNT Διδάσκαλε, [fn]Μωσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι Ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα, καὶ [fn]τέκνα μὴ ἀφῇ, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα [fn]αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
(Didaskale, Mōsaʸs egrapsen haʸmin hoti Ean tinos adelfos apothanaʸ, kai katalipaʸ gunaika, kai tekna maʸ afaʸ, hina labaʸ ho adelfos autou taʸn gunaika autou, kai exanastaʸsaʸ sperma tōi adelfōi autou. )

12:19 μωσης ¦ μωυσης ANT CT

12:19 τεκνα μη αφη ¦ μη αφη τεκνον CT

12:19 αυτου ¦ — CT

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:18–27: Other leaders asked Jesus about people living again after they die

The Jewish leaders continued to challenge Jesus. In this section some Sadducees asked Jesus a question to try to show that the things he taught were wrong. Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees were a group of Jewish leaders with certain religious beliefs. Many of the Sadducees were priests. They did not believe that God would cause anyone who had died to live again.

Jesus believed and taught that God does cause people who have died to live again. The Sadducees tried to use this belief to trick Jesus in 12:18–27. They told a story to ridicule these beliefs that Jesus taught. The story was not true, but they used it to ask a question. They thought that if a person believed that people who died could live again, there was no sensible answer to the question.

The Sadducees based their story on the Jewish custom that is described in Deuteronomy 25:5–6. This Scripture teaches that if a woman did not have any children by her husband before he died, his brother was required to marry her. Their first child would have the name of his dead brother and would be his heir.This custom was called the levirate. Jewish people considered the first son that the widow bore after marrying the brother of her dead husband to be the son of her dead husband, not the son of the man who was now her husband. This meant that this son and his descendants would carry on the dead man’s family and family name through future generations. Any sons born after this to the woman and her living husband would carry on the name of the living husband for future generations. In that way, the dead man’s family and family name could continue through future generations. Since the Scripture taught this custom, the Sadducees believed that they could prove from Scripture that Jesus was wrong.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The question about the resurrection

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection (ESV)

Do people rise from the dead?

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 22:23–33 and Luke 20:27–40.

Paragraph 12:18–23

In this paragraph the Sadducees explained a Jewish custom. Then they told a story and used it to ask Jesus a question about life after death. They hoped that the question would be too difficult for Jesus to answer. They planned to ridicule the idea of life after death.

12:19a

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that

They said, “Teacher, there is a law that Moses gave to us^(incl) in the Scriptures that
They said, “Sir Teacher, Moses wrote a/this law for us^(incl) Jews. He said that

Teacher: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. It does not mean “school teacher.” See how you translated this word in 4:38c and 12:14a.

Moses wrote for us that: This phrase introduces a specific law that God gave the Jews. Moses wrote this law for them in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. The word us here includes Jesus, because he also was a Jew.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that what Moses wrote was a law. It may also be necessary to clarify that the phrase for us refers to the Jews in general. It does not refer only to the Sadducees of Jesus’ time. Here is one way to clarify these things:

Our^(incl) law that Moses wrote says

Moses wrote this law for us Jews:

Moses: Moses was one of the greatest leaders of the Jews. He lived long before Jesus was born. He wrote God’s laws for the Jews. That is why the first five books of the Old Testament are often called “the Law of Moses.”

12:19b

if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children,

if a man’s married brother dies without having any children,
this is what a man must do for his married brother who dies before fathering a child.

if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children: This clause describes a situation that might happen. A married man might die without having any children. Moses wrote a law that would apply to the wife and the man’s brother in this situation.

12:19c

the man is to marry his brother’s widow

that man must marry the widow
He must marry the widow

the man is to marry his brother’s widow: The phrase the man here refers to a man whose brother died. The passage in Deuteronomy does not indicate whether one brother was older or younger than the other. If there were several brothers and one died, it is reasonable to assume that the oldest of the remaining brothers should marry the widow. But this is not clear in Moses’ writings.

his brother’s widow: A widow is a woman whose husband has died. If she remarries, she is no longer a widow.

12:19d

and raise up offspring for him.

and have a son/descendant who will preserve that dead brother’s name.
and have a child who will be considered the dead man’s child.
and father an heir for his dead brother.

and raise up offspring for him: The Greek word that the BSB translates as offspring is literally “seed.” Here it refers to a son and his descendants. When the brother and the widow had their first son, that son would inherit the dead brother’s name and land. In this way the dead brother would also have descendants and his family could continue.

You may want to make explicit in your translation that only the first child would be considered the child of the dead brother. For example:

Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother. (CEV)If the living brother had other children by his brother’s widow, those children would be considered as children of the living brother.

It may be helpful in your translation to have a footnote to briefly explain this custom. For example:

In ancient Israel there was a custom that if a man married and then died childless, one of his brothers should marry his widow. The first son that the widow bore in her new marriage would be considered the son of her dead husband. This son would act as the heir to the name and property of the first husband. The details of this custom are in Deuteronomy 25:5–10.

for him: The pronoun him refers to the dead brother. Here are some other ways to translate the phrase for him:

who will carry on the brother’s name (NLT)

who will be considered the dead man’s child

who will be his brother’s heir

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-quotations

Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν

Moses wrote ˱to˲_us

Here, the Sadducees introduce a summary of a section of an important text, in this case, the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy (see [Deuteronomy 25:5–6](../deu/25/05.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that the Sadducees are summarizing an important text. Alternate translation: [Moses wrote to us in the book of Deuteronomy] or [Moses declared to us in the Law]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καὶ μὴ ἀφῇ τέκνον, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ

wrote ˱to˲_us ¬that if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διδάσκαλε Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τινός Ἀδελφός ἀποθάνῃ καί καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καί μή ἀφῇ τέκνα ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφός αὐτοῦ τήν γυναῖκα καί ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ)

It may be more natural in your language to have a direct quotation here. Alternate translation: [wrote to us, ‘If someone’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up seed for his brother.’]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν

wrote ˱to˲_us

Here, the word us would be inclusive, if your language marks that distinction. The Sadducees mean “us Jews,” and they are speaking to Jesus, who is also a Jew.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

ὅτι ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ, καὶ καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καὶ μὴ ἀφῇ τέκνον, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ

¬that if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διδάσκαλε Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τινός Ἀδελφός ἀποθάνῃ καί καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καί μή ἀφῇ τέκνα ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφός αὐτοῦ τήν γυναῖκα καί ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ)

Here Moses uses an imaginary situation to show what should happen when that kind of situation actually happens. Use a natural method in your language for introducing an imaginary situation. Alternate translation: [to suppose that someone’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife but does not leave a child. In that situation, his brother should take]

τινος ἀδελφὸς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διδάσκαλε Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τινός Ἀδελφός ἀποθάνῃ καί καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καί μή ἀφῇ τέκνα ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφός αὐτοῦ τήν γυναῖκα καί ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ)

Alternate translation: [someone with a brother]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ

that ˓may˒_take the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διδάσκαλε Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐάν τινός Ἀδελφός ἀποθάνῃ καί καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα καί μή ἀφῇ τέκνα ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφός αὐτοῦ τήν γυναῖκα καί ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ)

Here Moses required that, when a man’s brother died without having any children even though he was married, the man had to marry his brother’s widow. The first child that they had would be considered offspring of the man’s deceased brother. That way, the deceased brother’s family line could continue. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit in your translation, or you could include some of this information in a footnote. Alternate translation: [his brother should marry the widow and raise up seed with her. The first child will continue the dead man’s family line]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα

Here, the phrase take the wife means that the man should marry his brother’s widow. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [that man should marry his brother’s widow] or [he should marry his dead brother’s wife]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα

˓may˒_raise_up seed